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Do Politics and Business Mix?

Hong Kong traditionally has been a business city, with our residents having a reputation envied by the world in being entrepreneurs and shrewd businessmen and women.  Whether we own our own business or are working for another business, our business IQ is higher than many, many other cities in the world. 

In the past, in the colonial days, politics was not    something people talked about much in Hong Kong, other  than in either an intellectual or a casual way.  Among business people, politics was not discussed with much passion or commitment, and thus the comment:  "I am in business, and I don't need to be involved in politics was a common one within the business community."

However, times have changed.  Since 1997, since Hong Kong people are ruling Hong Kong, every resident here, including businessmen, can no longer divorce themselves from politics.  The Chamber's role thus also has changed during that time.  In the past, even though we have had a seat in the Legco since the mid-eighties, and even though there was heated debate during the Patten days, many of our members did not actively participate in any discussion on politics.  But now, the very issue of the government's governance ability  which affects the economy  is a political one, and business issues are frequently the subject of political debates.  Good or bad political decisions affect the business climate greatly.  Hence, more and more Chamber members now are concerned about politics or have been forced to be concerned about politics, even while they are making great efforts to survive the downturn and meet the challenges of economic restructuring.

The Chamber helps out by making its voice known in the media and to the government -- either through our Legco representative or directly to senior officials.  This makes the voice of each of our members stronger, and this means we do not leave the arena of public opinion to those who may not have the economic development of Hong Kong among their priorities.

This is why members would have noticed how the Chamber necessarily has had to step into political debates, while at the same time working hard to help our members do business.  On Article 23, the Chamber was one of the first organisations to come out for a White Paper almost two years ago.  In fact, many members have commented that if the government had listened to this advice, legislation to implement Article 23 would not have met its demise in July 2003.  Now we have the critical issue of constitutional development in Hong Kong.   Once again, the Chamber feels that it must contribute its views.  Once again, you will find our views to be moderate, sensible, inclusive, and with the overall good of the business community and the citizens at large at heart. 

We do not know where the political consultations on constitutional development will go in the coming months, but we are pretty sure about what Hong Kong should be doing for now.  The Chairman published a major Op-Ed in Hong Kong newspapers at the end of March, and it is reprinted for our members on pages 20-22. 

You can be sure that as this important issue evolves and more specifics develop, we will not be silent.  Abdication of the political debate arena will ensure that views not friendly to the business community or, in our view, not conducive to economic prosperity will be unopposed.  This is why your Chamber has chosen to be vocal even on political matters that affect economic development. At any time, let us know what you think.

Eden Woon
CEO
HKGCC